Improvement Eyed for Commuter Rail System

The Commuter Rail system is vital to Boston’s economic well-being, officials and advocates say, but it needs to work better -- and potentially differently.

“We actually have a fairly good rail network -- if we could figure out how to utilize it better,” Metropolitan Area Planning Council transportation chief Eric Bourassa told the Herald.

The MBTA is in the middle of a “Rail Vision” project, which, over the next six months will continue to look at what the Purple Line of the future should look like.

“The Commuter Rail needs to perform as a lifeline to and from Greater Boston,” said Braintree Mayor and MassDOT board member Joseph Sullivan. “We need to strengthen the operations of our Commuter Rail.”

The Rail Vision project is looking at a wide range of options, and the goal is to come back with up to eight possible alternatives -- of which at least one will include building the North-South Rail Link. Should the Commuter Rail create a reverse-commute system, possibly spurring business growth in the likes of Lynn and Brockton? Should it go with a “regional rail” approach with much more service, like the subway lines? How big of a price tag would each of these carry, and how much would they drain from other services?

“There’s a lot of different interests, and maybe some of them conflict a little bit,” said Paul Regan of the T Advisory Board, which provides input on regional transportation needs. “All the cities and towns can get together on issues of frequency, and on issues of reliability.”

Bourassa’s MAPC is one of the organizations on the advisory committee for the project, and the MAPC has brought together a coalition of mayors and city managers to weigh in on what should happen with the system.

“Traditionally it’s really been about job access into the core of Boston,” Bourassa said. “Those mayors would love to see more activity around their stations, and it would require more service.”

The T’s Commuter Rail system, which is operated by the private company Keolis, over the years has run into issues often related to the age of the infrastructure. On Monday, for example, an axle on an inbound coach car broke and a wheel fell off.

The T has taken an “aggressive” funding strategy in recent years on the 12 Commuter Rail lines, said Steve Poftak, a member of the T’s Fiscal & Management Control Board and a former general manager of the agency.

“We know we need to procure more locomotives and rolling stock,” Poftak said.

Chris Dempsey of Transportation 4 Massachusetts said, “With greater planning that incorporates elements of regional rail, the Commuter Rail can offer a viable option for getting between different regions of the state more easily.”

Monica Tibbits-Nutt, executive director of the 128 Business Council and FMCB member, said, “We need more transit options -- especially with the lack of options in the inner core. The system was just not built for these development patterns that we’re going to see.”